Moving beyond the core story of brain development

Recent scientific discoveries in brain development are reshaping our understanding of early childhood development. What makes recent findings so compelling are the enduring and largely irreversible ways in which adverse social conditions are biologically woven into the brain, with negative consequences for health and socio-economic outcomes in later life.

This article discusses behavioural and neural plasticity, and its implications for parenting interventions.

Written by Barak Morgan, University of Cape Town. Published by Ilifa in 2015.

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